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There is a growing body of evidence which indicates that “teaching matters, [and it matters a lot] and what the teacher does and their methods have very substantial effects on pupils (Muijs Reynolds, Reynolds (2006, 2012). Similarly, Barber and Mourshed (2007) have argued that “the only way to improve outcomes is to improve instructions.”

However, in a world that is increasingly demanding that education gives simple answers to society’s problems and in which the question “What Works” seems to apply only to test results, it can be difficult for the classroom teacher to create the spaces required to teach with moral purpose and benevolent intent.

Pressure begets pressure and the system is cracking under the expectations placed upon it. In this master class, Debra will explore how we can step back and reconsider the purpose of edu cation and how we might find those small pockets of air that allow us to become pedagogical activists, empowering young people with hope and possibility.”